2008 Audi TT-S

Audi preps speedier art cars to send after Cayman and Z4.

Audi's TT has always been a car that, although sporty, was focused more on looking good than going fast. That's not so much the case with the coming TT-S, shown in these spy photos. Power comes by way of a high-output version of the Audi/Volkswagen 2.0-liter, direct-injection inline-four making 280 horsepower, 80 more than we're accustomed to seeing. A six-speed manual transmission and Quattro all-wheel-drive will be standard; Audi's sweet Direct Shift Gearbox is not yet able to handle that much power and will sit this one out.

A few months after the TT-S bows, Audi will unleash its top-dog contender, the TT-RS. With a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder feeding 350 hp through a stouter DSG to all four wheels, this will be the car that gives Audi its best shot at dethroning the Porsche Cayman S.